BMG announces Canadian expansion via Black Box alliance

BMG has announced it is ramping up its recorded music operations in Canada via an alliance with Toronto-based independent Black Box Music, which is headed up by Jason Murray.

BMG says that its tie up with Black Box will “support Canadian artists in their home territory, help discover new Canadian talent and also enable BMG to optimise sales in Canada from its growing stable of international artists”.

Under the deal, Murray will lead the firm’s Canadian operations, reporting into both BMG’s US President Repertoire & Marketing Zach Katz and its EVP Recorded Music, Jon Cohen.

Confirming the arrangement, Katz said: “Canada has a long history of generating great artists. Canadian people are great music fans. So it is absolutely natural for us to have a strong presence in Canada. We have made no secret of our goal to build a recordings business as strong as our presence in music publishing. Scaling up in Canada with a trusted and credible partner like Black Box will enable us to further improve our service to artists”.

Murray added: “In an ever-changing musical landscape that has more than ever before become an industry without borders, it’s exciting to be part of a forward-thinking global music company. Watching first hand what their team have built in both the publishing and recorded music businesses, in such a short period, is awe inspiring.”